Foundation garments



June 16, 1964 M. GINGRAS FOUNDATION GARMENTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 10, 1962 Inventor Marcel GINGRAS Attorneys June 16, 1964 M. GINGRAS FOUNDATION GARMENTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 10, 1962 Inventor Marcel GINGRAS Attorneys 3,137,301 FDUNDATION GARMENTS Marcel Gingras, St. Foy, Quebec, Canada, assignor to Dominion Corset Company, Limited, Quebec, Quebec,

Canada Filed Aug. 10, 1962, Ser. No. 216,144 2 Claims. (Cl. 128-528) This invention relates to foundation garments and has particular reference to panty-girdle type foundation garments.

The invention consists essentially in the provision of a panty-girdle in which the panty legs may be shortened by cutting through certain sections of the legs and in which the shortened leg edges remain free from ravelling.

Parity-girdles are manufactured in various sizes and of specific leg length styles to suit the average type of figure, but in order to suit the individual requirements of the wearer it is also necessary to provide a further range of leg length styles in combination with each of the sizes. This results in the need to manufacture a very large range of individual size and style combinations and makes it also necessary for stores to retain a large inventory to provide satisfactory customer service.

The main object of this invention is to provide a pantygirdle in which the panty leg lengths may be shortened to suit the individual style or taste of the wearer.

Another object is to provide a panty-girdle in which the legs are so woven that they may be shortened by cutting through certain sections without the need for further finishing operations to prevent ravelling of the remaining raw leg edges.

To achieve these objectives, the leg members are manufactured from elastic material woven in circumferentially extending leg bands which are spaced apart and interwoven with relatively narrow and circumferentially extending connecting bands of relatively light weight material. The leg bands and connecting bands are interwoven to provide a locked Weave at the circumferential edges of the leg bands. In this way, the panty legs may be shortened by cutting through any of the narrow connecting bands, with the locking weave at the circumferential edges of the clastic leg bands thereby preventing ravelling.

In the preferred execution of this invention, the leg members leave the loom with transverse edges which are sewn together to form seams at the inside face of the leg. I

In order to prevent opening of the seams when the legs are cut to the required lengths, locking stitches are sewn across the seams at the lower edges of each of the leg bands.

The leg members are joined to the lower edges of the main body of the girdle with a line of overedging seaming which is opened flat to prevent a smooth finish to the skin of the wearer. 7

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed specification and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a substantially front view of a panty-girdle according to the present invention and FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of the leg members, taken in the direction of arrow 2 in FIG. 1.

With reference now to FIGS. 1 and 2 which show the preferred execution of the invention, the leg members 10 are attached to the main body 11 of the panty-girdle by I 3,137,301 Patented June 16, 1964 overedging seams 12; Leg members 10 are composed of a plurality of circumferentially extending leg bands 13 made from a woven elastic material stretchable in two directions, spaced apart andinterwoven with a plurality of relatively, narrow circumferentially extending connecting bands 14 made from a relatively light weight woven non-elastic material.

The main feature of this invention is that the circumferential edges 15 of leg bands 13 are woven with a locking weave to provide a non-ravelling edge when leg mem bers 10 are shortened by cutting throughconnecting bands 14.

The transverse edges of each leg member 10 are joined together with a closing seam 16 and to prevent closing seam 16 from opening when leg members 10 are shortened, locking stitches 17 are sewn over closing seam 16 at the lower edges of each leg band 13.

The main advantage of this invention is that the wearer can shorten the panty legs to the length best suited to her individual requirements, simply by cutting through the connecting bands. The panty legs may also be manufactured of such a length to extend below the knees for securing a perfect fit under fitted pants. The panty legs can then be shortened at a later date if so desired, to allow for wearing the panty-girdle with a gown. 1

Another advantage of this invention is that manufacturing is simplified by limiting the number of combinations of size and leg length styles to nominal basic sizes.

The foregoing specification applies only to the preferred execution of the invention and it will be understood that the improved features can apply to other types and styles of panty-girdles.

What I claim is:

1. A panty girdle including two tubular leg members open at their lower ends, each of said leg members com prising a plurality of leg bands of woven stretchable material extending around the entirecircumference of the leg member and a plurality of connecting bands of relatively light weight woven material interposed between and interwoven with said leg bands and co-extensive therewith, the weave of each leg band being locked at the circumferential edges thereto to prevent ravelling of said leg bands when said leg members are shortened by cutting through said connecting bands, said panty girdle being further characterized in that the end portions of each leg member are sewn together in a seam transverseto said leg bands and in that the end portions of saidleg bands are;

also sewn together by locking stitches extending across said transverse seam, said locking stitches serving to prevent opening of said transverse seam when said leg members are shortened by cutting through said connecting bands.

2. A panty girdle as set forth in claim 1 in whichv the locking stitches of the leg bands are located close to the lower edges of said bands.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Geissmann Nov. 1, 1960 

1. A PANTY GIRDLE INCLUDING TWO TUBULAR LEG MEMBERS OPEN AT THEIR LOWER ENDS, EACH OF SAID LEG MEMBERS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF LEG BANDS OF WOVEN STRETCHABLE MATERIAL EXTENDING AROUND THE ENTIRE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE LEG MEMBER AND A PLURALITY OF CONNECTING BANDS OF RELATIVELY LIGHT WEIGHT WOVEN MATERIAL INTERPOSED BETWEEN AND INTERWOVEN WITH SAID LEG BANDS AND CO-EXTENSIVE THEREWITH, THE WEAVE OF EACH LEG BAND BEING LOCKED AT THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL EDGES THERETO TO PREVENT RAVELLING OF SAID LEG BANDS WHEN SAID LEG MEMBERS ARE SHORTENED BY CUTTING THROUGH SAID CONNECTING BANDS, SAID PANTY GIRDLE BEING FURTHER CHARACTERIZED IN THAT THE END PORTIONS OF EACH LEG MEMBER ARE SEWN TOGETHER IN A SEAM TRANSVERSE TO SAID LEG BANDS AND IN THAT THE END PORTIONS OF SAID LEG BANDS ARE ALSO SEWN TOGETHER BY LOCKING STITCHES EXTENDING ACROSS SAID TRANSVERSE SEAM, SAID LOCKING STICHES SERVING TO PREVENT OPENING OF SAID TRANSVERSE SEAM WHEN SAID LEG MEMBERS ARE SHORTENED BY CUTTING THROUGH SAID CONNECTING BANDS. 